Best Care for Your Senior Dog
Grey hair, weakening muscles, and low appetite – these are a few common symptoms that we humans display when aging. If you find the similar symptoms in your pet, then be prepared that your furry friend has started aging too. He is entering his golden years and this is the time where you need to get on your heels and provide extra care to help him enjoy the last phase of his life fully.
It is not new to you as a pet parent to come across various phases of life of your lovable companion. But, when your pooch enters the most crucial golden years, you need to be watchful for the symptoms such that you can provide your total support to lead him a painless, active, healthy and quality life with full enjoyment.
Symptoms to recognize for the old age of your dog
- Weight loss – with possible sighs of reduced weight at the shoulders and spine to be most prominent.
- Graying around the face and muzzle
- Cloudy or bluish eyes
- Excessive thirst
- Depression
- Disobedience
- Sense begin to deteriorate
- Deafness
- Slowing down
- Not active usually
- Energy levels decreases
- Confusion
- Appetite can decrease
- Thicker skin
- Sleeping more during the day and less during the night
- Uncontrolled urination
- Warts, fatty lumps or tumors – check these with your vet
- Muscle loss – normal around the hind legs but if it occurs elsewhere, consult your vet
- Rougher and thinner coat – potentially with bald patches or white hairs
- Arthritis and stiffness – difficulty in playing, going up and down stairs, in and out of cars, trouble sleeping comfortably.
Knowing the symptoms, now it’s time that you gather information about how you will provide the best care to your lovable companion so that he leads a normal life.
Tips to provide the best pet care for your senior dog
- As your dog ages, make regular trips to the vet and ask for the complete body check up frequently.
- Avoid harsh chemicals.
- Maintain your regular flea and tick, deworming and heartworm treatments.
- Maintain regular exercise schedule to keep him healthy and active
- Make a habit of checking your pet’s body and behavior regularly. Check his ears, teeth and gums, mouth, skin and coat.
- With age, continue with monthly flea and tick prevention treatment including deworming treatment too.
- According to the age, change your dog’s diet. Switch on to healthy food that is specially formulated to senior dogs. If your dog is having a health condition – consult a vet before changing his diet according to his health conditions.
- As your pooch enters into golden years, change his bedding. Provide soft but firm dog bed for him to easy to get up. Add more cushions for his joints comfort. If he is facing arthritis due to age, you can invest in arthritic dog bed.
- Change the schedule of your dog’s vaccination to every three years.
- With age, it is also important that you change the treats you are feeding your senior furry friend. Treat him according to his age and, which is beneficial to his aging gums.
Aging is a natural process that nobody cannot avoid nor even your dog. But, definitely with utmost care, proper treatments, regular exercise, healthy diet and various other necessary things, you can help your lovable companion to enjoy his golden years.
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